The Mercedes-Benz Future Bus Will Change the Way We Commute to School and Work

Featuring a groundbreaking system for autonomous driving.

Mercedes-Benz struck the fairway with a lavish concept golf cart last week and just recently, the German automobile manufacturer introduced its Future Bus that is seemingly a game-changer in the burgeoning world of public transportation. The kernel of this latest concept is Mercedes’s CityPilot — an operating system for autonomous driving. The mechanization involves a network of various cameras that are placed all around the bus, GPS as well as two distinctive radar systems. The Future Bus works exactly how a normal bus would except it doesn’t require a driver to help it traverse through city streets—touting streetlight recognition and the ability to stop and unload passengers by itself. However, there is a driver seat and wheel just in case human intervention is needed. Inside the bus, the interior is decked out with three different areas depending on how long your commute is, a massive display screen for the driver (if there is one) to communicate with passengers, as well as taking design cues of city parks—ceiling lights and handrails resemble tree branches.

Mercedes already tested the bus on a road in the Netherlands and it is capable of covering about 20 kilometers (12 miles) with its autonomous system. See it in action by watching the clip above and get a more intimate look at its design below.